Written by Rick Spruill on June 14, 2021

The Greenville Drive — and a couple of other teams in the High-A East league — are hitting for power.  Just ask the neighbors.

So many baseballs have peppered cars in the open air parking lot reserved for residents of the Field House at West End condominiums that they had their management company email Drive General Manager Eric Jarinko about it.

“Would you be able to point me in the correct direction of who I need to speak with about the high volume of baseballs this season coming over the wall and causing vehicle damage at the Field House Condominiums (sic)? It seems this has been a pretty busy season already with several damaged windshields … and the board of directors asked that I reach out to you about this.”

Jarinko said it’s true: A lot of balls have been flying over the left-center field fence and into the parking lot beyond. After all, in the 18 games played at Fluor Field so far this season, players have launched 55 home runs.

“The condos were built when Fluor Field was built in 2006, so they’ve seen balls come over the fence through the years,” Jarinko told the Journal. “It’s just been at a much higher rate this season. I’m willing to bet that’s the highest number through that many games.”

Field House at West End Association Manager Jennifer Shy declined to say exactly how many baseballs have bounced off of cars or careened into windshields, so far, and the association board declined comment, too.

But Jarinko said with enough power behind it, a ball can easily travel the 410 feet needed to clear the wall. And for a team whose 40 home runs through 33 total games is fourth-best in the 11-team High-A East league, power is not in short supply.

“We’ve got some big boys [in the lineup],” he said.

Factor in early season visits from power-hitting teams like the Asheville Tourists and Bowling Green Hot Rods, Jarinko said it’s no surprise more balls are leaving the yard than in years past.  That’s because the Drive, Tourists and Hot Rods all rank among the top 15 in home runs in all of minor league baseball, not just High-A ball.

“That’s the top 15 … out of 120 teams,” Jarinko said.

Jarinko said the Field House email came while the team has been on the road so it hasn’t been mentioned — yet — in the clubhouse. But he did tweet about it:

• • With all of the crap emails we received over capacity & masks early on, this one made me laugh.
  • “Guys, I’m gonna need you to stop hitting home runs, okay?” I’m sure that conversation will be well received. 
  • — Eric Jarinko (@ericsjarinko) June 8, 2021
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  “Honestly, when we came out of the pandemic and announced we were having a season, we got a lot of nasty emails about all the protocols we had to follow,” Jarinko said. “So, to get an email that is kind of about baseball and the play on the field, it was a good laugh because man, we’re talking about baseball again instead of protocols.” 

  
  

  And while he has spoken with the condominium association about it, he can’t ask players to stop swinging for — or beyond — the fences.

  
  

  “For the guys to be putting up stats like that after not having played for 20 months is even more impressive,” he said.